Wick raising mechanism and wick clip for incandescent burner



April 5, 1955 c. BRAMMING 2,705,412

WICK RAISING MECHANISM AND WICK CLIP FOR INCANDESCENT BURNER Filed Jan.17, 1952 MY; 2 T 3 :25 3

ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent WICK RAISING MECHANISM AND WICK CLIP FOR INCANDESCENT BURNER Carl Bramming, Nashville, Industries, Incorporated, ofIllinois Tenn., assignor to Aladdin Chicago, Ill., a corporation Thisinvention relates to hydrocarbon burners, especially those in whichfuels such as kerosene is burned, and more particularly to the provisionof an improved wick raising mechanism and attachment means forreleasably joining the wick to the raising mechanism.

In hydrocarbon burners, either stoves or lamps, employing a fuel feedingwick of tubular formation, the wick being nested between a pair ofconcentric tubular supporting members, and adapted to be raised andlowered in relation thereto, the difficulty of raising the wick in auniform manner so as to present a uniformly planar edge at the desiredcombustion point must be met. It has been found advantageous to supportthe wick from diametrically oppositely positioned points, by some meansdesigned to coact with a wick raising mechanism. An example of such awick raising device and cooperating attachment means is disclosed in thepatent to F. W. Spangler, No. 1,530,741, issued March 24, 1925. Thepresent invention relates to a new attachment means and wick raisingdevice which is an improvement over the one there shown.

Early wick-raising mechanisms were attached to or coacted with the wickat only one point or along a line on the wall of the cylindrical wickand parallel to its axis. In use such means raised the wick so that itpresented a high spot immediately above the point of engagement. Theimproved wick raising mechanism of the Spangler patent engages the wickat diametrically opposite points, but the engagement is of the pivotaltype. In use the wick may become tipped, pivoting about the secondaryaxis determined by the support points, and present an entire side liftedhigher than the other side.

In either of the above cases, uneven burning is encountered, and inhydrocarbon burning devices this results in yellow flame tongues andsmoking. If the burner is used in conjunction with an incandescentmantle, the yellow tongues pass through the mantle and deposit largeblack carbon spots.

In accordance with the present invention, such tilting, with theaccompanying flame tongues, smoking and blackening of the mantle, isprevented by providing wick raising mechanism and wick supporting meanswhich position the wick evenly with respect to the burner head. Toaccomplish this end, the wick raising mechanism is constructed with apair of arms having upper and lower edges situated in planesperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wick. The wick supportingmeans are clipped to the wick at diametrically opposite points, thesemeans having a body or lug in which is defined a plurality of slotsconstituting a socket. In use the arms are firmly engaged in the slots,thereby providing a non-pivotal mounting, which makes tilting of thewick impossible.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide wickraising and attachment mechanism for use with cylindrical wicks employedin hydrocarbon burners, the mechanism being constructed so as to elevateand hold the wick evenly in position for burning.

A further object is to providea wick raising mechanism for cooperationwith a pinion supported in the basket of the burner, the wick raisingmechanism being adapted to be stamped from relatively thin sheet metal,and requiring the use of only a small amount of metal.

A further object is to provide improved attachment means which may beassociated with the wick, said attachment means constructed forengagement with the wick raising mechanism of the present invention.

A further object is to provide a wick engaging attachment means having anovel means of association with the wick raising mechanism, whereby asmoother and more closely controlled movement of the wick may beobtained, in a semi-floating type of mounting, in a manner to preventtilting of the wick to avoid uneven burning and undesirable flametongues.

A further object is to provide a wick raising mechanism adapted tosupport the wick at two diametrically opposed points, the wick raisingmechanism affording no interference with the transverse air tubes of aside draft burner.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from aconsideration of the following specification and appended claims inconnection with accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a view partially in elevation and partially in section of thewick supporting structure of a burner con structed according to myinvention, some of the parts being omitted;

Fig. 2 is a view in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. l; 1 Fig. 3 is aview in section on the line 3-3 of Fig.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the wick raising mechanisn, a wickclip, and wick, disassociated from the burner, an

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the wick clip. In th e drawings, andparticularly in Fig. 1, there is shown the wick supporting mechanism ofa blue flame burner. This type of burner comprises a burner basket, notshown, in which the wick supporting mechanism is mounted. Above theburner basket there may be placed suitable mantle supporting means andan incandescent mantle, the entire structure cooperating to produce ahigh intensity light from a flame at the upper end of the wick.

As shown in the drawings, the wick 10, of cylindrical formation embracesan inner wick tube 11 which extends downwardly in the burner and ispinched inwardly as at 12 where it is supported by the transverse airtube 13. The transverse air tube 13 is supported from the burner basket,not shown, and provides air to the inside of the inner wick tube 11. Aflame spreader 14, having its upper end perforated as at 15 may beinserted in the upper end of the inner wick tube 11 to function in thewell-known manner, and may be supported therein by the tab 16 in thebody of the inner wick tube 11.

The outer wick tube 17 is formed with an upper portion 18, of a diameterpermitting a laterally supporting sliding fit with the wick 10 inoperative position, and with a lower portion 19 of a large diameter anddefining an annular chamber 20. The outer wick tube 17 is supported by alower cylindrical frame 21, in turn mounted in the burner basket.

The wick 10 is formed with an upper cylindrical portion 22 and a lowerbifurcated portion 23 permitting it to extend on either side of thetransverse air tube 13, into the lower fuel tank. The wick attachmentmeans 24 are secured to the wick 10, in its cylindrical portion 22, atopposite ends of a diameter perpendicular to the axis of the transversetube 13, when the wick is in position. Each of these attachment means 24is formed with a curved main body panel 24' having at each of its ends adeformable arm or gripper 25, adapted to be inserted through the body ofthe wick 10 and clinched as at 26, particularly as shown in Fig. 2,thereby holding the means 24 securely in position on the outside of thewick 10. The main panel 24' is drawn into an outwardly extending stud27, and defines a pair of slots 28 constituting a socket, as shown. Theslots 28 extend vertically in the means 24, having their upper and lowerends situated in planes parallel to the plane of the upper end of thewick 10.

The wick supporting and raising mechanism 29 is formed with asubstantially semicircular collar 30 which presents at its two ends thewick supporting arms 31, adapted to be received in the sockets formed bythe slots 28 in the wick supporting means 24. In installing a new wick10 in a device constructed according to this invention, it is found thatthe wick supporting arms 31 are easily engaged firmly in the slots 28,and that the assembly supports the wick 10 in a manner providing asubstantially planar surface at the top of the burner head. Since thearms 31 are firmly gripped in the sockets formed by the slots 28, thewick is prevented from tipping as it is moved up and down.

The collar is attached, at a point substantially 01f center as shown inFig. 2, to a rack member 32, the two members being shown as formed of asingle sheet of material. The rack 32 presents a plurality of teeth 33adapted to be engaged by the teeth of the pinion 34 whereby the verticalposition of the rack 32 and the wick 10 may be varied. The pinion 34 issupported on an axle 35 which carries a hand wheel 36 the assembly beingmounted in the bracket 37 which is in turn attached to the supportingmember 21. The guide channel 38 is formed by a portion of the bracket37, and acts to guide the rack 32 and to hold it in position formovement by the pinion 34.

It will be appreciated that rotation of the hand wheel 36 will impartvertical movement to the rack 32 whereby the height of the wick 10 maybe varied. The wick supporting means 24 cooperate with the wicksupporting arms 31 as above described, and are also adapted to be usedin connection with the wick supporting mechanism as shown in the abovementioned Spangler patent, by the engagement of the outwardly extendingstuds 27 with the apertures in the upper ends of the wick supportingarms there shown. 1

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a burner, the combination comprising a vertically movablecylindrical wick, means forming a vertical rack guiding channel adjacentsaid wick, a rack movably positioned in said channel for upward removaltherefrom, means including a pinion meshing with said rack for raisingand lowering said rack, a generally semicylindrical wick supportingstrip partly encircling said wick and rigidly connected to said rackadjacent its upper end so as not to interfere with upward removal ofsaid rack from said channel, and a pair of wick mounting elementsmounted on the outside of said wick at diametrically opposite points,each of said mounting elements including a vertical plate formed atopposite edges with inwardly extending prongs piercing said wick andclinched over to secure said plate to said wick, said plate having apair of spaced vertical slots therein defining a central vertical stripportion therebetween formed outwardly into a U-shaped generallyrectangular clip, said clips on said diametrically opposite mountingelements snugly and disengageably receiving the opposite ends of saidwick supporting strip and preventing tilting of said wick relative tosaid rack.

2. A mechanism for supporting and raising a cylindrical Wick for aburner having a vertical rack guiding channel and a rack actuatingpinion, comprising, in combination, a vertical rack movably receivablein the channel for upward removal therefrom and for meshing with thepinion, a generally semi-cylindrical wick supporting strip rigidlyconnected to said rack adjacent its upper end and receivable around thewick in partly encircling relation thereto, said strip providing forupward removal of said rack from the channel, a pair of wick mountingelements adapted to be secured to the outside of the wick atdiametrically opposite points thereon, each of said elementscomprising avertical plate having means thereon for securing said plate to the wick,said plate having a pair of spaced vertical slots therein defining acentral vertical strip portion therebetween formed outwardly into a U-shaped generally rectangular clip, said clips of said diametricallyopposite mounting elements snugly and disengageably receiving theopposite ends of said wick supporting strip to prevent tilting of thewick relative to the strip.

3. A wick mounting element for connecting a cylindrical wick to a wickraiser having avertically movable rack-operated generallysemi-cylindrical wick supporting strip, comprising a vertical plate,means for securing said plate to the outside of the wick, said platehaving a pair of spaced vertical slots therein defining a centralvertical strip portion therebetween formed outwardly into a U- shapedgenerally rectangular clip for snugly receiving one end of the wicksupporting strip, two of said mounting elements being required atdiametrically opposite points on the wick to connect the wick to bothends of the supporting strip.

4. A universal wick mounting element for connecting a cylindrical wickto a wick raiser, whether equipped with a generally semi-cylindricalwick supporting strip or, in lieu thereof, a pair of stud receivingarms, comprising a vertical plate formed at opposite edges withlaterally extending prongs adapted to pierce the wick and be clinchedover for securing said plate to the outside of the wick, said platehaving a pair of spaced vertical slots therein defining a centralvertical strip portion therebetween forrned outwardly into a U-shapedgenerally rectangular clip adapted to receive one end of the wicksupporting strip, said clip having a stud formed outwardly thereonadapted to receive one of the arms, two of said mounting elements beingrequired at diametrically opposite points on the Wick.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS560,875 Welch May 26,1896 1,530,741 Spangler Mar. 24, 1925 1,549,826Engh Aug. 18, 1925

